Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has defended both President William Ruto and Raila Odinga for approving the Adani Group’s multibillion-dollar deals in Kenya, asserting that they made the right decision based on available information at the time.
Mbadi clarified that President Ruto did not contradict Raila Odinga, who had earlier supported the Adani Group due to its global reputation and proven ability to manage large-scale projects, particularly citing the upgrade of Mumbai Airport.
The Treasury CS also commended President Ruto for swiftly canceling the deals after new information surfaced refarding the Indian conglomerate’s suspected involvement in bribery.
Mbadi emphasized that the Kenyan government was unaware of Adani Group’s alleged corrupt activities until the United States government uncovered them.
“If someone does not disclose material facts about themselves, how would we know they’ve been involved in bribery elsewhere?” Mbadi posed.
He continued, stating, “When the US government conducted a special investigation and revealed the bribery, the best course of action for any responsible government is to terminate dealings with such an entity.”
Mbadi reiterated that the government would take similar actions with any individual or company, including Kenyans, found to be involved in corruption.
“It is not just Adani Group, any other person even if it is a Kenyan and you are found to have been corrupt, you can no longer be allowed to carry on with the said transaction,” he added.
The CS also clarified that Odinga’s comments about Adani Group had been limited to the company’s other international projects, with a focus on the well-publicized Mumbai Airport upgrade.
Furthermore, Mbadi announced that the Kenyan government is now ready to engage private developers for the upgrade of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). He stressed the importance of expediting this process to benefit Kenyans while maintaining transparency.
“Private entities worldwide now know that JKIA requires development, and the Kenyan government is ready to engage a private investor,” said Mbadi.
He added, “We must embrace Public Private Partnerships (PPP), but it doesn’t have to be Adani. If we have doubts about a company’s integrity during evaluation, we cannot proceed with the contract.”
